The Undead Are Back! They Are Alive!

For the first time in 5 years, the Denver Zombie Crawl took place here in Denver this past Saturday. For many years, it was held annually on a Saturday in October on the 16th Street Mall. Then it was canceled due to the pandemic, and starting in 2021 the city started a major renovation of the mall, making it unsuitable for such a large event. The mall is still being renovated, and so I was surprised, and delighted, to learn that the Denver Zombie Crawl was going to be held after a 5-year absence at Larimer Square, an historic block saved from urban renewal by Dana Crawford, a tireless advocate for preserving historic buildings and neighborhoods in Denver, as well as other towns and cities in Colorado.

And I must say, in addition to seeing so many Denver zombies finally out and about, it was nice to see Larimer Square filled with people once again. In addition to the loss of foot traffic due to the high office vacancy rate here in Denver, Larimer Square's new owners started a renovation that resulted in many vacant store fronts, and most times when I walk through it, there are very few people around. But this past Saturday, it was just like the good old days. Since the zombie crawl was limited to just a single block, it was a smaller affair than in the past, but still fun. There is nothing Denverites love better than dressing up in costumes and parading around in Lower Downtown (LoDo), the Ballpark neighborhood, or River North (RiNo), which are filled with bars and bistros and brew pubs catering to the hipster set. And as you can tell from the photos, they must take a lot of time to look as authentic as they can, assuming that some, if not most of them, are not real zombies.

What I would like to know is why clowns have been singled out as being so sinister. At every zombie crawl I can remember, there are always a fair number of ghoulish looking clowns walking up and down the street. Is it because of serial killer John Wayne Gacy's penchant for dressing up in clown costume and makeup? Whatever the reason, it has sure given clowns a bad name. They used to be a staple of circuses throughout the country, but since circuses have mostly disappeared due to the ASPCA's successful campaign to outlaw their use of animals, clowns have mostly disappeared from the scene. My sister Susan told me once about being taken to the circus by our Grandfather Spillard when she was young and getting to meet the clowns backstage. My grandfather was involved in vaudeville years ago, and knew a lot of those clowns when they were on the vaudeville circuit. Once vaudeville died out, often being a circus clown was the only work they could get, and Susan actually found it kind of sad. But I digress - I really enjoyed the Denver Zombie Crawl this year and hope it will be back bigger and better next year on the 16th Street Mall. One can only hope.